


Breath

by EquilibriousEye



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Jasper was married, Percabeth is married, abuse victim! Jason, confessions to the public
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-10
Updated: 2016-12-10
Packaged: 2018-09-07 13:34:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8802874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EquilibriousEye/pseuds/EquilibriousEye
Summary: Jason Grace couldn't believe he was doing this. He had been a victim of a most likely mentally ill wife for years. She'd been abusing him for most of those years. And now... he'd finally left. Because she'd finally overstepped her boundaries.





	

I didn't love her any more. Not in the way a lover would, anyway. I think in my heart I knew I'd always somehow end up loving her like a friend. Like a sister. That kind of love that no matter how unbearable the receiver is, you just HAVE to. Because of chemicals and emotions and guilt. Her mood changed like a constant summer and winter with no in between. One day she'd be soft and home and Piper, and another day she'd be something out of the books we read in the classes at camp. Something cold with talons and fangs and no heart or soul. She'd lie in bed all day and tremble and sob and tell me I was a monster and deserved death. Then the next day she'd wake up super bright and early and act normal, not talking about what had happened the day before. I'd learned not to talk about it. She'd just go back to winter, to talons and fangs and venom and eyes that regarded me as pure trash. I learned to shut up, keep my mouth shut, and let her be her. This was normal, right? Abuse is the word. Verbal abuse, and I was such a sucker I couldn't do anything about it. I didn't owe Piper anything. Yet I stayed, because I never wanted to be anything close to my father and one thing he was known for was abandonment. I felt like if I ended things she'd just somehow edge her way into my life and claim I was just like my dad. That I was just like him, which I never wanted to be. Another person I didn't think I could love; my dad. He didn't help my mom, or more importantly us because maybe she was too far. In too deep. He never helped us. And I would never be like him, I told myself that every day I woke up. That I would be the best damn boyfriend, best friend, what ever I have ever meant to anyone; I would be the best of that role I could be. The day she landed her hands on me was the day I broke. And I am here to tell that story. I was asked earlier when everything changed. It was last Monday. She'd woke up in winter. And then everything changed when she started putting her hands on me. I remember the first time. She'd been moaning about how I was lazy and never did anything right, how I could amount to nothing. I had replied back, because I was tired. So exhausted of what she was saying, and how she'd act, and this constant... abuse. Anyways... here's my story.

~~

"Session, uh, one. 2:05 P.M., the date being 11/03/16. The speaker today is a man by the name of Jason Grace... uhm, it doesn't seem like he's ever been to one of these events before, but the story he has prepared is very personal. Apparantly he didn't even let the hosts see it, which almost led to him not being able to speak at all in this. Apparantly he has a good friend here, however, because he is currently in that stool right there. Uhh.. oh, right! Jason Grace is twenty-five. Blonde close-cut hair, caucasian. He's fit and.. well, pretty muscular and stands at about 6'01. He's wearin', uh, glasses, wireframe and black. His eyes are sky blue..." 

The person who was to introduce Jason was... well, bothering Jason. This guy was just droning on and on about how he looked, and it was making him feel like this was some sort of blind date or one of those competitions where the prize is a date with the guy or whatever. He cleared his throat and it sounded through the mic. The guy lifted his head and gave him a blank gaze, before continuing. When the guy finally finished up about his "well-fitting jeans", he gestured towards Jason, who looked at the crowd nervously and then down at the wooden planks of the stage below him. "Okay. Uhm, well, hi guys. You know my name and stuff, so, I'm just going to go ahead and get on with this. This-this story, I have never told any one. Nobody in my life has ever known that I'm a victim of this. Nobody ever expected it, really. I...I didn't expect it." His eyes landed on a familiar face in the crowd and his heart jumped. Ocean blue eyes met his, and he saw a shining smile of teeth and black messy locks of short hair. Who the Hades had told Percy about this? And-oh god- he noticed everyone who he knew almost at once. There was Annabeth sitting beside him. She was about four months pregnant and was practically glowing. Balanced on Percy's knee was their son Grover. Next to Percy on the other side was Hazel and Frank, followed by Leo, who was holding hands with a woman. A woman who Jason knew probably wouldn't last. He felt a spark of hurt in his chest for thinking like that. He squinted. He didn't see Nico any where, and gave Hazel a questioning glance, who shrugged. He let out a breath, wetting his lips. He realized he'd literally been in complete silence staring at his friends for about three minutes now. Kids were already getting rowdy in the crowds, including little Grover, who was trying to climb up Percy's body.

"Last Monday, my wife Piper woke up in one of her moods. She was... I don't know, angry. So angry. Usually when she was in one of her moods she would just moan and gripe and nag. But this time, she seemed furious with me. She, uh. She got up, and I was honestly worried. I didn't know what to do. I let her hurt me. It... it wasn't anything too serious, just a few bruises. But this seemed to open up a gateway. The following two days after that she literally would try smothering me in my sleep, choking me from behind...it was like suddenly she was stuck in her mood. It got so bad that by the weekend I'd went and stayed with a friend. So, uh. Monday I went back. I told her I wanted a divorce and.. she tried to shoot me. I haven't been back since." Jason was trembling recounting the story. It sounded unreal. He was sure that the audience would laugh and tell him to man up. Something he'd grown up hearing from what little "guidance" his mom had offered. 

"This is safe place!" A soft, female voice called from the crowd. 

"You are so, so brave!" 

"We will help you!"

"Everything will be okay, you never need to go back there!" 

And that is when Jason began to cry. He'd held this in for so long, had summed it up in literally as much as a paragraph would be worth on a paper, and was being...  
supported. It was a feeling he didn't know if he could understand. He was so overwhelmed, and couldn't comprehend it at the moment. He'd intended to stay, to see the rest of the people speak, but he needed to get out of there. He felt it was all too good to be true. And for the first time, he'd regretted going to somewhere he knew he'd get help. He was scared. Scared, but relieved. That he'd finally got it out, it was finally out... and he was okay. For so long he'd been paranoid about telling anyone. He'd had to be convinced endlessly to actually go through and talk about this.

He stood, handed the guy the microphone, and waved goodbye. He ran out of the building nearly blinded with tears. It was out, and he was okay.

And that is where Jason realized his life was going to begin. The first step was saying it... and he felt like for the first time he could finally breathe.

When Jason took that final step out of the building and into his car followed by his friends, he realized that he would never see Piper again if he could help it.

**Author's Note:**

> this sucks lol it's my first one


End file.
